Disabled people often have a harder time finding employment than non-disabled people because we face discrimination in job interviews that you would not experience without having a disability. The unemployment rate is higher amongst disabled people because non-disabled people often assume things that are not true and will hire a non-disabled applicant. I looked for a job for ten years and eventually gave up because I got tired of trying to prove my disability and not being believed when I told them my abilities. Disabled employees can be so beneficial in a business because we can connect with customers in ways non-disabled people can’t and have different skills but unfortunately, not everyone sees the benefits and thinks we are less capable than non-disabled people employees. It can be hard to find a job when you have a disability because people often believe myths about hiring disabled people that are simply not true which affects our ability to find a decent job. In this post, I am going to share some of the most common hiring myths about hiring disabled people that you may have heard that are simply not true.
Disabled people can’t do their jobs as effectively- When you are disabled it can be hard to find and keep a job because employers often believe disabled people cannot do their jobs as effectively as non-disabled people. Disabled people sometimes need reasonable accommodations in the workplace to be able to do their job but if we have these accommodations, we can do our jobs just as effectively as a non-disabled person can. My disability prevents me from doing jobs that require a lot of manual labor but I can type on a computer and answer the phone just as quickly as a non-disabled person can because my disability does not affect my ability to do that task. A disabled person is sometimes better at administrative work than non-disabled people because we can connect with your disabled customers in ways a non-disabled person can’t. If you think a non-disabled person has more qualifications than a disabled person, then you should hire the non-disabled person but you shouldn’t be making hiring decisions based on the fact that someone is disabled. It is unfair to assume that a disabled person can’t do their job as effectively because we wouldn’t have applied to that job if we couldn’t do it.
Disabled people require more time off- When I go to a job interview, more often than not, my future employer asks me if my doctor’s appointments are going to interfere with my ability to get to work on time, because it is often assumed that all disabled people are at the doctor’s all of the time. Some disabled people may require more doctor’s appointments, but the belief that disabled people require more time off is simply not true because not all disabilities require a lot of doctor’s appointments. If I had a job, I wouldn’t need to take more sick days than a non-disabled person because I don’t have a disability that requires monthly doctor’s appointments, and I usually only go to the doctor for yearly checkups. Disabled people sometimes are more reliable because we don’t make a lot of money, and it’s more expensive to be disabled, so we aren’t going to take sick days we don’t need. Some disabled people may require more sick days than others, but the belief that disabled people aren’t reliable employees is not true, and it depends on the disability.
Accessibility is going to be too expensive– Business owners sometimes are hesitant to hire disabled employees because they think it’s going to cost them hundreds of dollars to make their workspace accessible, but it’s probably going to be a lot cheaper than you think. Accessibility can be expensive, but not all disabled people are going to require expensive accommodations and sometimes all we need is a lower desk to be able to do our jobs efficiently. Some disabled people may not need any accommodations, and it depends on what disability you have, because people with different abilities are going to require more or less accommodations. Business owners often don’t want to hire disabled people because they think we are going to demand you make your whole building accessible, but the reality is, I am only going to ask for accessibility that I need to do my job. If there is an area I never have to access, I am not going to care if it’s accessible or not because I never have to go there. Accessibility can be expensive but it can also be very cheap, and it depends on someone’s abilities because some disabled people struggle more than others.
Disabled applicants are less qualified– Business owners often will hire a non-disabled applicant over a disabled applicant because it is often believed that disabled people are less qualified. If you have a disabled and non-disabled applicant with the same level of experience and schooling, both applicants can be equally as qualified because a disability isn’t what makes someone less qualified. I wish employers could look past the disability and base hiring decisions on someone’s experience and talent because disabled people get college degrees and can be just as qualified, if not more than, non-disabled people.
Disabled people require more training- Disabled people with learning disabilities sometimes take a little longer to learn a new skill and may take longer to train, but the belief that all disabled people require more training is not true. Most disabled people can be trained as quickly as a non-disabled person can, and how quickly someone is able to be trained depends on what disability you have. You shouldn’t not hire a disabled person because they may take a week longer to train, because you can still be a valuable employee and process things at a slightly slower pace.
Disabled people don’t have reliable transportation- Some disabled people are not able to drive and have to rely on public transportation, which is not super reliable, but a lot of disabled people do have driver’s licenses. Sometimes we have to get accommodations for a vehicle to accommodate our disability and make driving possible, but many of us can still drive. Disabled people can get to work on time just like anyone else and do have reliable transportation because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t have applied to that job.
When it comes to hiring disabled people, employers often are very hesitant because people sometimes believe that disabled people are unreliable and less qualified. Disabled people are not always going to be your most qualified applicant and that is okay, but it is unfair to reject someone because they have a disability you do not understand. If you are considering hiring a disabled applicant, ask us what we need and actually listen instead of just assuming we can’t do our jobs effectively. Disabled people can be very useful in the workplace because we can teach you how to improve the accessibility in your business and can call you out on your ableism, so you don’t lose customers. Disabled people sometimes have to do tasks in a slightly different way but that doesn’t make us incapable employees. Please start hiring disabled people because disabled people need jobs, as much as non-disabled people and you can’t call your business inclusive if you refuse to hiring disabled people. What myths about hiring disabled people have you heard? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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